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"Linux is a very strong and reliable operating system"-- Philippe Kahn

Do you currently do any work in Linux or do you plan to do some work in the future?

At LightSurf for our ASP and MSP services to companies such as Kodak and others we actually use Linux extensively. We are the leaders for end-to-end infrastructure for Multimedia Wireless Communications.

What is your perception about Linux? What do you think Linux currently lacks technically that if added, can make it more successful then it already is?

I perceive Linux to be a very strong and reliable operating system. But what Linux needs is better end-to-end tools, specially in the testing area.

What do you think needs to be done to make Linux more popular on the desktop?

A great front end like Mac OS X.

What do you believe is the future of operating systems?

Microsoft will continue to be very successful with the Windows family of OS's and Linux will be the only serious alternative.

What do you think about the open source model of development?

It is an excellent paradigm for a certain category of projects.

Did you consider open sourcing your products when your founded Borland?

Open Source did not exist as such and we were building tools that allowed others to do later, Open Source projects.

Borland is now shipping Kylix for Linux. Do you think that will turn their fortune around?

Borland is actually doing quite well these days. Take a look at the company's stock performance vis-a-vis the rest of the industry. Yes, Borland competed hard with Microsoft and Microsoft got the better of it. But now Borland has found its stride again. Kylix is an excellent example of one of Borland's new product successes.

Borland made Interbase open source. Do you think that was a good decision?

Absolutely, the team at Borland made an excellent decision. I also think that it is fantastic for the Open Source community to have full access to a tool such as Interbase.

Do you expect Borland to contribute more to open source in the future?

It is clear that Borland has a greater commitment to Linux and OpenSource than any other major commercial company in the industry. With Kylix and the Linux Interbase as core elements of any serious Open Source Linux developer, I believe that Borland's contributions to the Linux and the Open Source community at large is second to none.